Furniture



L .T e e .h S S a e e h S 2 RR w U um N MR .U K M d 0 M w Patented Sept. 9, 1890.

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K. MILLER.

FURNITURE.

Patented Sept/9; 189

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sYfi Z' ATTY UNITED STATES PATENT O FIC KARI. MILLER, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,941, dated September 9, 1890. Application filed June 19,1890. $eria1N0.355,939. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, KARL MILLER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invent-ion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw- .ings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in buifets, toilet-cabinets, or other furniture; and it consists in providing such articles of furniture with water-tanks, adapted to be connected by means of tubing with a fountain arranged in the table part of the furniture, whereby an article is produced which is very desirable and has at the same time a very pleasing appearance.

In'the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 represents a front perspective view of the buffet pro vided in its table part with my fountain arrangement. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. On Sheet 2, Fig. 3 is a back view of the piece of furniture, showing the arrangement of water-tanks and mechanism for suspending one tank at the top while the other tank is at the bottom, and also flexible tubeconnections for leading the water from the raised tank to the nozzle of the fountain, and also for leading the surplus water from the fountain-basin to the lower tank. Fig. 4 is a section taken through line so in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the pipe arrangement secured within the basin, and to the lower end of which the flexible tubes are adapted to be attached, while at its upper end it has screwed thereon an ordinary nozzle. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of Fig. 5, taken on line 1 in said figure.

is either permanently or detachably secured a basin I), either of metalor other'suitable material. This basin is perforated inthe center of its bottom, having secured therein a stand-pipe c, which is of a suitable construction, to be more especially described hereinafter, and which is provided on its top with a nozzle or sprinkler c, and is connected by means of two connections a and c at its bottom below the basin with flexible tube-connections d and 01, each of which communicates with water tanks or reservoirs e and 6, respectively, as will be clearly seen from Figs. 3 and at. Said water-tanks are adaptedto slide or to be moved up and down in ways or guides a in the back of the piece of furniture, as shown, and are provided with eyes 6 and 6 to which are fastened the ends of a rope f, arranged over suitable pulleys or wheels in the upper frame-work of the furniture. The form shown in the present construction consists of a centrally-arranged wheel g, having a groove g arranged on a shaft g fixed in the proper journals g ,which are secured in bearings in the frame in any well-known manner. Smaller wheels or pulleys g and g maybe fixed in the frame on op posite sides of said pulley g, as shown, and over these wheels the rope f is placed, so that said tanks or reservoirs e and 6 can .be raised or lowered, as may be necessary. At both sides of the wheel g on the shaft 9 are secured ratchet-wheels h and h, with oppositely-placed teeth and with which pawls h and h engage, said pawls being suitably pivoted in the frame-work of the furniture. The front end of the shaft g is provided with a squared end 9 adapted to receive an ordinary crank, by means of which said wheel 9 is turned, and whereby one of the watertanks is raised while the other is lowered. A small door a (shown in Fig. 1) is provided in the top of the furniture to conceal the raising and lowering mechanism from view.

As will be evident from Figs. 5 and 6, the pipe-connection 0 consists of a main portion 0, provided with two longitudinal ducts c and c ,which meet at the top in a common and centrallyarranged opening 0 With said ducts communicate the horizontal ducts c and 0 as shown. The upper end ofthe pipe 0 is threaded, and upon the same can be screwed a nozzle 0 of any suitable construction. The main portion of the pipe is provided with a shoulder upon which rests a ring 0 being held in place by means of a nut 0 provided with a packing-ring, so that the said ring 0 can be rotated about the main portion of the pipe. Said ring is provided with horizontally-arranged perforations e and 0 whereby direct communication in the direction of arrows 2 and 1 is established through duct 0 while duct 0 has direct communica tion with the perforations o and 0 and water can pass therethrough in the direction of arrows 3 and 4c. The shoulder on the main portion is provided with a pin 0 extending up into a slot 0 .(in dotted lines in Fig. 6,) whereby the rotation of ring 0 is regulated, as is evident. Vhen said ring is turned upon its shoulder, perforation is directly opposite the perforation or duct 0 and the water will flow up one side through d uct c and down the other through perforation c and ducts c and 0 The operation of the device is as follows: Suppose the tank or reservoir c has been filled with water poured into the same through an opening e in the top of each tank, either from the side or back of the furniture, when the tank is in its raised position. shown in Fig. 3, the raised tank c is held in its suspended position by the pawl 72/2 engaging with the ratchet h. (See Fig. 1.) The water from said tank or receptacle 6 flows through the flexible tube cl, which is attached to the connection ciinto the main connection c,passing through the duct 0 and out of the nozzle 0', forming a fountain. The water falling back into the basin 12 passes through the perforation 0 (shown in Figs. 5 or 6,) and out of the duct 0 in the direction of the arrows 3 and 4, through the flexible tube (1, attached to the connection 0 and finally into the lower tank or receptacle e, the water at all times trying to seek a level. This operation is continued until tank 9 is emptied and tank 6' has become filled. In this position the flow from the fountain is stopped. Now, if it is desired to again operate the fountain the door a in the top of the furniture is opened, pawl 7L2 thrown out of engagement with the ratchetwheel 7i, and the whole device is turned by means of a crank placed upon the squared end of the shaft 9 until the tank 6 has become raised considerably above the level of the water in the basin 1) and the empty tank 6 is simultaneously lowered, said tank 6 being held in its suspended position by the pawl 72 engaging with the ratchet-wheel h. The ring c on the pipe-connection o is then turned so that the perforation e communicates with duct 0 thereby closing the opposite side, and the water will then flow from tank e through flexible tube (1 directly through duct 0 and out of the nozzle 0, falling back into the basin As is clearly b, and thence passing through the oppositelyarranged perforation e and out of the duct 0 filling the empty tank e, as will be clearly understood from the accompan yin gd rawings. (Illustrated in Fig. 3.)

The tanks or receptacles e and e are each provided with proper perforations e to permit the escape of the air while the empty tank is being filled with the water from the suspended tank.

The basin Z) is provided with an ordinary cock 1), whereby any water remaining therein can be emptied therefrom The flexible tubes (Z and cl can be attached to the bottom of the pipe-connection c by means of ordinary conpling-pieces, whereby they can be readily detached and the tanks 6 and e emptied, if desirable. It is, however, preferable to secure said tubes permanently to the said pipe 0 and also to the bottoms of the tanks to prevent leakage, and the tanks can be emptied by means of ordinary cocks, as is evident. It is not necessary to empty said tanks for a long while, since the water passing from one tank to the other, and vice versa, does not become putrid, being in con stant contact with the air.

In the present construction I have shown my invention as adapted for use upon a buffet, and the basin Z2 is well adapted to receive flowers, whereby a Very pretty and desirable piece of furniture for the diningroo1n is the result. It is also well adapted as a toiletcabinet for ladies use or for use in ladies parlors in hotels, theaters, duo. If desirable, the water in the tanks can be scented with eau-de-Oologne.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A bufiet, toilet-cabinet, or other like furniture provided with a stand-pipe, which consists of a body portion having parallel ducts therethrough terminatingin a common opening at the top, horizontal ducts terminating 011 opposite sides of the body portion and communicating with said parallel ducts, a ring provided with perforations arranged around said body portion and held thereon by means of a nut or cap, whereby one of said horizontal ducts is closed while the other remains open, flexible tubes connected with each of said parallel ducts in the stand-pipe and also with the water-tanks arranged in the back part of the furniture, said tanks being adapted to be raised and lowered, and a raising and lowering device, all of said parts being arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The herein-described pipe-connection, consisting of a body portion 0 provided at its lower end with two connections adapted to receive tubes and adapted to receive a nozzle at its upper end,parallel ducts extending from said connections up through the body portion and terminating in a common opening in the top, oppositely-arranged horizontal In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 10 16th day of June, 1890..

KARL MILLER.

Witnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL, WM. H. OAMFIELD. 

